West NY News

On April 29, 2024, a diverse group of project partners and stakeholders convened on the banks of Mud Creek in Mayville to celebrate the inauguration of a new stream monitoring network. The Mud Creek station is one of six constructed as part of the research partnership between The Jefferson Project and Chautauqua Institution, which commenced work on Chautauqua Lake in 2020.

The Jefferson Project has been implementing its Chautauqua program in several stages, taking inspiration from a decade's worth of work on Lake George. The latest stage involves the construction of six tributary stations that will gather crucial data about the waters feeding into the lake. These stations are set to be operational this year on Dewittville, Mud, Prendergast, Ball, Bemus, and Goose Creeks. Additionally, a seventh station will monitor flow in the Chadakoin River. Stantec Consulting Services led the technical aspects during construction while TimberHut Cabin Company provided pre-fabricated structures for the stations.

Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance Executive Director Randall Perry introduced Monday’s event. He acknowledged representatives from various organizations whose contributions have made this expansion possible. "We are very honored to have people from across the spectrum," Perry said. “It takes all of us.”

Institution President Dr. Michael Hill discussed the inception of their partnership with The Jefferson Project and progress made towards developing science-based solutions for Chautauqua Lake's impairments. “It is amazing to think that when completed, Chautauqua Lake will be one of only two fully computerized lakes in the world,” Hill said.

Funding for this project was provided by the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation via an Alliance pass-thru grant secured in summer 2023. Linda Swanson, Executive Director at Sheldon Foundation said: “We had an unusual opportunity last year to give a pretty significant gift for our foundation, and we remain committed to the future."

County Executive PJ Wendel reflected on the funding and community collaboration necessary to reach this point. He said, “A unity of effort is a phrase that I have been following when it comes to Chautauqua Lake, and that is going to continue. We need to work together."

Following statements by local stakeholders, members of the construction and research teams explained in detail how these stations were built and their operation. The stations are designed to be mobile with minimal impact at each site. They can measure several different water quality variables instantaneously and store data for future computer modeling.

The main goals of this research program are summed up with three questions: Where are the nutrients coming from? If it is from streams, how does that water enter the lake? How does that nutrient-laden water then interact with the ecosystem?

For more information about this project and others, please contact Alliance Communications Coordinator Jay Young at jyoung@chautauquaalliance.org or 716-661-8918.